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Monthly Archives: October 2012

Brendan Rodgers has given 18-year-old striker Samed Yesil his second start for Liverpool as the Northern Irishman rings the changes for the visit of Swansea in Wednesday night’s Capital One Cup fourth round tie.

Up against his former club, Rodgers made nine changes to the starting XI that claimed a 2-2 draw at Goodison Park for Sunday’s Merseyside derby, with only Brad Jones and Joe Allen retaining their place.

In a surprising move, Jordan Henderson is expected to start at right-back – a position the midfielder has rarely filled – while Jack Robinson comes in to take the left-back spot. Joe Cole also gets a rare start in midfield for the Reds.

As for their opponents, Michael Laudrup is forced to select Gerhard Tremmel after Michel Vorm suffered a groin injury against Manchester City that is expected to keep the Dutchman out of action for six to eight weeks.

There are three further changes for the Swans as Dwight Tiendalli, Jazz Richards and Nathan Dyer replace Angel Rangel, Ben Davies and Wayne Routledge as the Welsh outfit chase their first ever win at Anfield.

This weekend we see the return of an old rivalry that has played a big part in Premier League history when Arsene Wenger takes his Arsenal side to Old Trafford for a Saturday lunchtime kick off.

There is no doubt that there will be much talk about last season’s 8-2 thrashing and it would be no surprise to see Sir Alex Ferguson starting the mind games early. We also have the Robin van Persie factor which is bound to add intrigue to this highly anticipated encounter.

However, as punters, we should certainly not get wrapped up in all of this and we have to take last season’s result as a complete one off.

Arsenal fielded a very inexperienced side last time out at Old Trafford and will be far better prepared here.

Manchester United have an outstanding home record against teams of the Gunner’s stature though, which reads won eight, drawn none and lost two.

Furthermore, when we look at Arsenal’s recent away record to teams of United’s grade, it reads won three, drawn one, lost six, on that basis the 8/13 (1.62) offered about Manchester United to win the game is realistically priced.

However, this price can be improved by dutching Sir Alex Ferguson’s side to win by one or two goals as this has been the winning margin in seven of United’s last eight home victories against the Premier League elite and in six of Arsenal’s last seven away defeats against the top four sides.

Dutching Manchester United to win by one or two goals pays around 11/10 (2.09), and this looks again to offer some very good value.

To achieve this price to £10 stakes you place £5.59 at 11/4 (3.75) on Manchester united to win by one goal at and £4.41 on United to win by two goals at 15/5 (4.75) in the winning margin market.

Elsewhere, I like the look of Everton’s chances when they travel to West London to take on Fulham at Craven Cottage.

Despite Fulham’s impressive home record, their record when facing teams of Everton’s grading reads won one, drawn four, lost five and when David Moyes’ side take on teams of Fulham’s stature their record reads won six, drawn two and lost two.

With these stats in mind it would be advisable to keep the draw on side and Everton can be backed at a tempting 7/8 (1.88) +0 goals on the Asian Handicap . Which offers similar terms to that of the Draw No Bet market.

Manchester United v Arsenal

Fulham v Everton

If you would like further tips and selections please head over to Premier Betting and sign up for the FREE Weekly Insider which is delivered to your Inbox by 11am every Saturday MorningYou Can Follow Pete on Twitter @petenordsted

Everton defender Sylvain Distin has accused Liverpool striker Luis Suarez of almost breaking his ankle during the Merseyside derby on October 28.

The Uruguay international was booked after a late challenge on the 34-year-old during the 2-2 at Goodison Park, with Suarez insisting he did not mean to harm the Toffees man – suggesting his own studs were caught in the turf beforehand.

Distin’s tweeted: “Thanks for the concern. My ankle is all good considering it could have been broken.”

Suarez courted controversy earlier on in the game by celebrating Liverpool’s first goal with a mock dive in front of David Moyes following pre-match comments from the Everton manager accusing him of simulation in recent weeks.

And Moyes believes the striker could have been sent off for his tackle on Distin.

“It’s over the top, down the back of the leg. [Suarez] was a very lucky man to stay on the pitch for his tackle,” he told BBC Sport.

However, Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers disagreed with Moyes’ interpretation, insisting the tackle was clumsy rather than malicious.

Rodgers added: “I didn’t think it was a red card. Sometimes you get that with a striker, when they are just a fraction late. They are trying to time it just as they pass it.”

The Capital One Cup continues on Wednesday night with three hugely fascinating ties to look forward to and bookmaker has added some added spice to tonight’s last 16 clashes by offering a special bet on which team scores the most goals.

In the big clash of the evening, Chelsea play host to Manchester United in what is sure to be a feisty clash following their dramatic meeting on Sunday. Norwich City welcome Tottenham Hotspur to Carrow Road and Liverpool face Swansea City at Anfield and it is Brendan Rodgers’ side who head up ’s market at 6/4 (2.50) favourites to bag the most goals.

Whilst the Reds may have, on paper at least, the simplest task to progress to the last eight of the competition, it should be noted that Liverpool have managed just eight goals from eight home matches this term and the 6/4 (2.50) quote from looks too skinny.

While Swansea have been free-scoring at times this term, the 10/1 (11.0) for them to outscore the other five sides in action on Wednesday night looks ambitious.

Tottenham Hotspur have notched at least two goals in each of their last seven domestic matches and Andre Villas-Boas side look like outstanding value at 3/1 (4.0) to be the night’s top scorers against a side which has shipped 19 goals in just 11 matches this season.

Norwich have managed just 10 goals in their 11 matches and, thus, it is difficult to make a case for the Canaries at 8/1 (9.0) with to outscore their rivals.

There is sure to be plenty of interest in the clash at Stamford Bridge between Chelsea and Manchester United but, with both sides set to field an under-strength side for this meeting, it is unclear what to expect.

Subsequently ’s 9/2 (5.50) quote for Chelsea to be Wednesday night’s top scorers and the 6/1 (7.0) quote from the same firm for United to score most should probably be swerved here.

Tottenham Hotspur are excellent value to top the goalscoring charts on Wednesday night and Andre Villas-Boas’ men are worth supporting at a juicy 3/1 (4.0) with .

You can find this market in the Specials tab at hill.com.

Wednesday’s top scoring team betting:

Recommended Bet: Tottenham Hotspur at 3/1 (4.0) with

Sign up with for a £25 free betWillie Duncan is a freelance sports journalist. Willie, from Edinburgh, has covered Scottish football for over 10 years and he specialises in football betting markets from across Europe. You can also follow Willie onTwitter

Liverpool centre-back Jamie Carragher believes youngster Andre Wisdom can become a star for the Anfield club in coming seasons, providing he keeps working hard to impress coach Brendan Rodgers.

The 19-year-old defender has started to feature in the first team for Liverpool this season along with the likes of Suso and Raheem Sterling, and looks set to play against Swansea in the Capital One Cup on Wednesday.

And Carragher – who is also in line for an appearance – thinks Wisdom and his young team-mates can become regulars for the side if they work hard and continue to show belief in themselves.

“When you are Andre’s age, you look after yourself. If you don’t do well when you get a chance as a young lad, you might not get another. But Andre has been excellent. He is a Liverpool player. He can pass the ball,” Carragher told the Daily Mail.

“All the kids who have come in during the last 18 months have been the same. Jack Robinson, Jon Flanagan, Raheem Sterling, Suso and Andre – they have all done really well. I’m sure there will be others too.

“It’s good for them to be nervous. It shows they care. If I play against Swansea, I’ll be a little bit nervous as I want to do well. You should have belief in yourself but you need that edge. It keeps you on your toes. Obviously if the nerves go too far, it shows they are not up to it. But Andre has shown that he can.”

Carragher is looking to the Capital One Cup match against Swansea as a chance to get game time, acknowledging that he is no longer guaranteed games at Anfield.

He added: “I look at [the Swansea game] and the Europa League as a chance to get games. This is something to focus on for me, as I know I’m not a Premier League regular any longer.”

Wisdom spoke of his delight at being tutored on the job by Carragher, explaining that it is a big step from going from low-key reserve games to the pressures of the Premier League, adding: “It is always good to play alongside experienced players. ‘Carra’ never stops talking. You need that in the game.

“It is different when you are playing in big games in front of big crowds. If you get 50 people for reserve games, you are lucky. It is very nerve-wracking when you are playing for Liverpool.”

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard has apologised to Everton and Stoke after criticising David Moyes’ team for playing long-ball football in the 2-2 Merseyside derby.

The England midfielder was frustrated after the Toffees came from two goals down to draw at Goodison Park on Sunday, and claimed Everton’s style of play resembled Stoke’s aerial approach.

However, after reviewing the game, Gerrard believes he went “too far” in his criticism of his rivals, confirming he has the “utmost respect” for both David Moyes and Tony Pulis.

“Just to clarify, I’ve watched the game again, and I’ve seen some of Everton’s matches this season, and what I said in relation to their style of play went too far,” he told reporters.

“It wasn’t my intention to disrespect Everton or Stoke for that matter and I certainly didn’t intend any disrespect to their manager or players.

“I have the utmost respect for David Moyes and Tony Pulis and the job they have done at their respective clubs.”

The 31-year-old admitted his reaction was partly down to his anger at Luis Suarez’s late effort being incorrectly ruled out for offside, and feels the Uruguayan has been unfairly treated in recent weeks.

He added: “I was frustrated by the disallowed goal from Luis [Suarez] when I spoke and also some of the things that have been said about Luis in recent weeks which haven’t been fair in my opinion.

“As captain I have a duty to stand up for our players when I feel they are unfairly singled out.”

Everton defender Phil Jagielka had earlier responded to Gerrard’s criticism by accusing Brendan Rodgers’ team of “passing it around for half an hour for the sake of it.”